113 - SONNENSTRAHLHÖHLE survey + frontier push
Andy Waddington
The trip that took four days to start ! Doug & Andy had even got changed outside the entrance for one attempt before jacking. Finally underground at 12.30 on Thursday ... now read on ...
Zapped down to Opera House then started survey from station 1980/S27 at the thread. Keine promble down Purple Pit confirming previous "survey" to 1980/SA0 at the last bolt. Zoomed through muesli crawl to Sprucy Wind where Andy relieved the tension in the rebelay (not without hassle). Then zipped down the rope to the bottom. Thrutched into the Crematorium where Andy started and Doug finished a bolt to protect a daring climb onto the loose muddy sloping ledge. Doug did the daring deed of deadly dangerous desperate daring (Bzzzzz! "repetition"). Onto the ledge and along past a thread (runner) and onto the base of the ramp. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, this didn't go. Doug reached the base of an unscalable 15m aven and the hoped for streamway bypass was unfound. Retreat, unable to evade the concept which strikes dread into every caver's heart. . .
DERIGGING (Aaagh ! No ! Faint ! Throw up !)
Derigged the whole of Sprucy Wind and the last bit of Purple Pit. Exitted (very slowly with more cursing / unit depth than previously seen this year) with 150m rope + hangers & Co. & Co. Out @ midnight to v. nice moon.
11½ hours (gasp!). A.